Tips to Get You Through the Holiday Travel Season Alive (and Relatively Sane)

Well, Thanksgiving is almost here, which means a lot of us are already packed and ready to brave the overcrowded airports and train stations to head home and see our family. With the AAA predicting 46.9 million people traveling at least 50 miles this holiday season, travel is bound to be a nightmare, but there are a few things you can do to make your trek a little easier.

Among the tips:

Fly Early - It’s always better to get the first flight out, because the later you fly, the more of a chance there will be a delay, especially if the weather isn’t cooperating (and there seems to be a good possibility of that happening). Any delays that happen earlier in the day, are just gonna get worse as the day progresses.

Pay Extra for the Direct Flight – While it will certainly be cheaper to buy a ticket with a connection, you open yourself up to all sorts of risks, like flight delays, cancellations or missed connections. In the end, the few extra bucks for a direct flight will be worth it.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time – The holiday season is not the time to show up to an airport with minimal time to check luggage, get through security and get to your plane. Always allow for additional travel time – experts suggest at least an hour to get through security - and check in online in advance to save yourself a little bit of time.

Don’t Wrap Gifts – TSA agents are bound to want to unwrap a gift to see what’s inside, so to save time, ship your wrapped gifts to your destination.

Listen to Traffic – There are going to be a lot of cars on the road, so don’t head out during peak hours with your fingers crossed that there won’t be delays. Listen for traffic updates, and use apps like Waze, which will help you avoid traffic. And if you can, try and travel at odd hours in order to avoid the traffic altogether (I recommend the travelling during "Morning Show Guy Commute Hours", roughly between 3 and 4am).

Take a Break from the Family – Holidays are stressful, so to avoid exploding at someone in your family, it’s recommended you take a break, maybe visit a friend or go for a walk, anything to help relieve the stress of being with your family 24/7.

Survive and thrive this week! If all else fails, stay home and Skype with the family.